House Appropriations Committee Report Language on NASA

As reported in FYI #102, the House Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year 1996 VA/HUD/Independent Agencies appropriations bill on July 18. In doing so, the appropriations committee made some significant changes to the NASA portion of the bill, including restoring funds for the Cassini mission to Saturn and the Goddard, Langley, and Marshall Space Flight Centers. Report language accompanying the full committee’s bill provides further information on the committee’s recommendations. Portions of the report relating to NASA’s Earth and space science and the downsizing of the space agency are quoted below:

SPACE SCIENCE: “The Committee recommends $1,975,400,000 for fiscal year 1996, an increase of $16,500,000 to the budget request of $1,958,900,000. The funding adjustments within this account are as follows: No funding is provided for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, a reduction of $15,000,000 from the budget request. Funding for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is set at $28,700,000, a reduction of $20,000,000 from the budget request. Finally, the Committee has included $51,500,000 for the Gravity Probe B program to ensure its schedule remains intact as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences in their report on the project.”

MISSION TO PLANET EARTH: “The Committee recommends a reduction of $338,600,000 from the fiscal year 1996 budget request of $1,341,100,000. The reduction includes $6,000,000 to be taken from the Consortium for International Earth Science Network, which will terminate NASA support for this project. In addition $332,600,000 in other funding reductions are directed. The Administrator of NASA is directed to provide a restructured program to the Committee by August 31, 1995.”

NASA DOWNSIZING: “On May 17, 1995 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the results of its Zero-Base Assessment of operations. The conclusions announced at that time were the result of an extensive review effort which had begun in November of 1994 and gained added urgency when NASA’s long term budget was reduced approximately $5 billion by the President in January of 1995.

“Six basic principles guided the review team as they did their work. Those basic principles were: 1.) No NASA Centers are to be closed; 2.) Avoid major program impacts; 3.) Establish meaningful missions and roles for each Center; 4.) Retain core competency of the workforce; 5.) Pursue immediate efficiency and re-structuring saving; and 6.) Strive for outsourcing, privatization, and commercialization.

“The Committee believes the plan which resulted from the Zero-Base Assessment is credible and will achieve $5 billion in savings beginning in fiscal year 1997. However, events which have transpired since January and which were not considered by the Zero-Base Assessment team cause the Committee to be concerned that the long term budget target, which is much lower than that considered by the management team, can only be achieved by revisiting the first two principles. Namely, serious action must be taken to reduce infrastructure through re-structuring of NASA Centers, and major programs will need to be altered or canceled.

“The Committee has therefore included language in the Bill which directs NASA to complete a study by March 31, 1996 on the cost of performing functions at current Space Flight Centers and Research Centers and logical alternative locations, with a goal of achieving significant cost savings through consolidation or re-structuring.”

House leaders hope to bring three appropriations bills, including the VA/HUD bill, to the floor before the end of this week.